The 365 · Sunnah · Day 8 · Morning
Praying Salah ad-Duha
The hadith
يُصْبِحُ عَلَى كُلِّ سُلَامَى مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ صَدَقَةٌ... وَيُجْزِئُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ رَكْعَتَانِ يَرْكَعُهُمَا مِنَ الضُّحَى
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Every morning a charity (sadaqah) is due upon every joint of one of you. Every tasbih is a charity, every tahmid is a charity, every tahlil is a charity, every takbir is a charity, enjoining good is a charity, forbidding evil is a charity. And two rak'ahs of duha suffice for all of that.' (Sahih Muslim 720, narrated by Abu Dharr ra.)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Varje morgon är en sadaqa på varje led i kroppen... Och två rakat Duha räcker för allt det.'
Sahih Muslim 720 (Abu Dharr, the joint-charity hadith); Muslim 719 (number of rak'ahs); Sahih al-Bukhari 1981, Sahih Muslim 721 (Abu Hurayrah's three things)
The story
The Prophet ﷺ practiced duha regularly. 'A'ishah ra. narrated that he would sometimes pray four rak'ahs and sometimes more (Sahih Muslim 719). Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ instructed him to never abandon three things: fasting three days a month, praying duha, and praying witr before sleep (Sahih al-Bukhari 1981, Sahih Muslim 721). The instruction to a Companion was personal but the principle is general.
Why it's here
The hadith is striking. The human body has approximately 360 joints (the classical number; modern anatomy varies). Each one owes a daily sadaqah of gratitude to its Creator. The Prophet ﷺ then said: two rak'ahs of duha cover all 360. The price-to-coverage ratio is, again, extraordinary.
Try it today
1. Pray two rak'ahs of duha after sunrise (about 15-20 minutes after, to clear the prohibition window) and before Zuhr.
2. The optimal time is about a quarter of the way through the morning, when the sun is well risen but not yet at zenith.
3. Recite as you would any voluntary prayer; no specific surahs are mandated.
In your day
For most modern schedules, duha fits in a coffee break or a mid-morning pause. Two rak'ahs takes about three minutes. Three minutes for the sadaqah of 360 joints. Set a reminder.
A reflection to carry
Ṣalāh aḍ-Ḍuḥā is the forenoon prayer: 2, 4, 6, or 8 rakʿahs prayed between sunrise and just before Ẓuhr. The Prophet ﷺ: 'Every morning, charity is due from every joint of yours; every tasbīḥah, every taḥmīdah, every tahlīlah, every takbīrah is charity... and two rakʿahs you pray as aḍ-Ḍuḥā suffice for all that.' (Muslim 720.)
Read the longer reflection
The body has 360 joints; each requires daily charity-equivalent. The two rakʿahs of Ḍuḥā cover all 360. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Abū Hurayrah to fast three days per month, witr before sleep, and Ḍuḥā daily (Bukhārī 1981). The classical scholars: Ḍuḥā is the Prophet's ﷺ explicitly recommended daily nawafil. Cure: schedule Ḍuḥā between mid-morning and Ẓuhr; even 2 rakʿahs daily covers the named joint-charity; build to 4 or 8 as schedule permits. Modern professional life often has a mid-morning break; convert it into the Ḍuḥā prayer.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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